8 REPOKT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



stock available for distribution in 1907 was larger than ever before, 

 it was not sufficient to meet all applications. A new station estab- 

 lished in California furnished the most satisfactory eggs handled 

 during the season, and is expected to become a valuable source of 

 supply for the hatcheries. Attempts to collect eggs of the golden 

 trout of Volcano Creek, California, were unavailing, the snow and 

 ice on the heights over which it is necessary to pass making it impos- 

 sible to transport the necessary equipment during the spawning sea- 

 son. Later in the year, however, brood fish were secured and sent 

 to three stations, with a view to artificial propagation. 



The hatchery at Northville, Mich., was taxed to its utmost capacity 

 during the past lake trout season, 47,000,000 eggs being laid down 

 in the troughs at one time. This station supplies practically all the 

 lake trout eggs handled by the Bureau. 



Paci-fic salmom. — The product of blueback salmon was incr<^ased 

 this year by the large output of the Yes Lake station in Alaska. 

 This station, which is now practically completed, has full)'^ demon- 

 strated the desirability of its location. With the chinook salmon, 

 the work at several important points was less successful than usual, 

 because of adverse weather conditions. The racks at Baird, Cal., 

 were washed out during the early run of salmon, and almost the 

 entire collection of eggs was lost. At Baker Lake, Washington, 

 more salmon were caught for the retaining pounds than during any 

 preceding season in the history of the station, but an unprecedented 

 rise in the lake released many of the impounded fish, and thus the 

 total number of eggs secured was not large. The work at the field 

 station of Birdsview, which is operated for humpback and silver 

 salmon and steelhead trout, was also much interfered with by 

 freshets. 



The abundance of salmon in the Sacramento Eiver is evidenced 

 by the fact that the Mill Creek substation secured over 40,000,000 

 eggs— its largest take. The work at Mill Creek is as productive as 

 that of any other station on the Pacific coast, and warrants the estab- 

 lishment of a hatchery there. 



DISTRIBUTION OF THK OUTPUT. 



The marine and anadromous fishes and the output of the hatchr 

 eries on the Great Lakes, all commercial species and constituting 

 about 90 per cent of the total output, were as usual planted directly 

 by the Bureau or consigned to State fish commissions. Practically 

 all the other fishes, except those returned to the streams from whose 

 overflow waters they had been taken, were distributed on application, 

 as heretofore, being sent to individuals throughout the country for 

 stocking ponds, lakes, streams, and reservoirs. The applications in 



